I need help filling the pages
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- ashlsm3
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I need help filling the pages
- Fran
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I'm not an author & have no delusions about that - so really I can't be of help you.
But the title you gave your topic stunned me, IMO writing is not, and never should be, about "filling the pages". As an avid reader I can certainly tell you I would much rather read 20 pages of a good, well written story than 200 pages of filler produced because the author felt some need to fill some mythical page quota. BTW I'm a big fan of the short story format & I have read some superb stories that in some cases were only 2 or 3 pages long. For me it's all about quality not quantity!
A world is born again that never dies.
- My Home by Clive James
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I take it you don't mean "end" by "finish", because you state that you plan out the "beginning, middle, and end".
Once you've written the "end" after having written the beginning and middle, you've finished.
As Fran says, most readers are not interested in reading "filler". I don't know, but I have a feeling that editors suggest paring far more than they do adding.
A couple of exercises may be helpful or fun or useless:
A rule of thumb says 250 words per double spaced 8.5 x 10, so your 20 pages are about 5,000 words. I know you want it to be larger but do some editing - take one down to 4,000 words (16 pages). I suggest this first because it is indeed easier to take words out than to put them in.
Second exercise is to go through your work piece by piece, a sentence at a time. Question yourself about each one. Are you satisfied, what else might you want to know about the subject. What else might be interesting about the subject?
One of the best known opening sentences in a longish novel is very short - Call me Ishmael. Why? How'd you end up named Ishmael? After your grandfather? On your mother's side? He was a spree killer? In Mexico? He's still alive?
Plenty of questions presented in those three words.
heck, the opening might end up "Call me Ishmael or my grandfather will shoot you. My name is acually renaldo, but he has this weird hang-up about whaling stories."
Question all the sentences in the first paragraph, then look at the paragraph as a whole. What does it say/ Is that what you want to say? All you want to say? etc etc. What else about the topic of the paragraph might be interesting and informative? Question everything and answer the questions. put the answers in the text.
You maybe could get a few more pages. Now read it as a whole again. The question now is, do you like it better with the "extra" words? If you do, go back to the first exercise - are you keeping the new text or are you finding that all or most of that is the stuff you pare out? If you pare out all the new stuff, hey, you were finished before.
If you like the new stuff and are paring out old stuff, take the expanded version and do the questions and answers bity again. Eventually, you'll end up with evrything you could possibly want to know in there. Then, edit it down again. Maybe you end up with 50 pages, maybe 22 pages - it's a start.
- Aubrey_Archard
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- ashlsm3
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- riyanj
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I look back and I lacked the self worth to really put my heart in to finishing something, looking at what I was doing to be compared to a seasoned professionals work. I'm learning that I just need to finish so I can do the next one better.
As for editing a book after you finish I would pay to have it done till you gain confidence. You put your heart in to a story and fix grammar, then send it out to be made better.
- peachyreader
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My suggestion would be to view any passion for what you're writing as a good thing. If you feel compelled to tell this particular story, please don't give up. However, if it's draining you and you can't see yourself feeling satisfied by finally getting it out, then move on. I think if you can't live with the idea that this story won't be told then it probably isn't worth getting hung up on. For me, even if nobody ever reads my novel when I've finally completed it, I feel compelled to get it out of my system.
You might try giving yourself some writing prompts. There are websites that offer these if you haven't heard of them before. They can help you get in the habit of writing. Or simply make a list of some of the things you might like your characters to do during the story that move their journey forward to tie everything together with the ending. Each day you pick from that list and write about that particular thing. For instance, say your main character is a baker. Make a list of things the baker might have to deal with, like creating a new recipe, entering a competition, fighting with a colleague or customer, etc. You don't necessarily have to like what you're writing, but you should be writing regardless. Sometimes the act of writing alone can generate a new idea or a fresh perspective you can run with over later chapters. Good luck!
- Sharon-Wheater
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Ask people to read the book and give you ideas, that way you may be able to get a little extra inspiration and just let the writing flow on out again. Fresh eyes can help a lot.
But never give up!! I will read what you have if you like and see if I can give you some help. Pm me and I will send you my email address if you would like me to help.
Sharon
-- 24 Nov 2013, 07:44 --
Having problems with pm will msg u when I get home
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- aaronhattle
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Tell your story, and whatever length it turns out to be is correct.
- moderntimes
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Perhaps you're simply writing short stories and they're finished, and don't need padding. Padding a story is worthless anyway.
When I write my short stories, they are not intentionally short due to lack of material. They're short because that's all that's needed to tell the tale.
My novels however are longer because the story to tell is more complex and needs 80,000 words instead of 7500. When I set out to write a novel, I'm well aware that it's a more extensive commitment. Then I start and just write and write. It usually takes me a year to write a novel, whereas I might write a short story in 1 or 2 days.